We had the good fortune of connecting with Wally Kelly and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Wally, how do you think about risk?
Taking risks are what my career is built on. I moved to Los Angeles on a whim only knowing one person and began reaching out/building my community during the pandemic, which to say the least was terrifying. Looking back at the last two years i’ve been here and all the personal/situational struggles I faced, it was all completely worth it and I wouldn’t change a thing. Most recently, I just completed a fully independent pop up gallery on Sunset Boulevard titled “Painbow” with my associate Quynh Vu and it was such a memorable experience I will always hold close to my heart. That wouldn’t have happened without stepping outside my comfort zone and just doing it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am a multimedia artist based out of Los Angeles but originally from Charlotte, North Carolina. I started creating at a really young age and was first published when I was 17, starting my professional career. It’s been extremely difficult navigating art through competitiveness and being over saturated with commissions which became discouraging very fast, so making the switch to move from the East coast was super necessary for me. I work with mediums like print making, painting, and sculpture with the most frequent ones rotating between film photography, installation art and architecture.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
In LA, I would say some of my favorite things to see are spots like Kenneth Hahn park for a great view of downtown, bar hopping in Hollywood/Silverlake and getting out of town to places like Santa Barbara or Joshua Tree as a day trip. There aren’t a lot of places where you have beach, mountain and desert access all within 2 1/2 hours. My favorite places to eat hands down are the Misfit and Republique!

Website: Www.wallyekelly.com

Instagram: 8wek

Image Credits
Film photos by Jose Padilla 2022 of Painbow

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